Goblin Clanlands
The Goblin Clanlands is the southern most kingdom of Etan. Once encompassing all territory south of the Skyshatter Mountains, more than half of the Clanlands has now been conquered by the Ogun'kor ogres. The Clanlands has been reduced to the south-western tip of Etan. History The history of the Goblin Clanlands has been written, or rather drunkenly sang, by the victors. Few reliable narratives exist of the goblins in southern Etan, with no clear date established for when the region was settled by goblins, when their capital city was constructed or even who was their first High Chief. What does exist has been gleaned from tales of the clan and the achievements of their greatest warriors. Shardfall For more on this, see here. Little survives of this period in the records of the goblins. A general narrative exists of a great panic overtaking the clans which aligns with evidence of mass violence and experimentation with deeper levels of divination magic. Pelor's Glory For more on this, see here. The Clanlands begin to range further into the fledgling human states to the north, beginning in earnest their reputation as raiders and slavers. First March During the droughts of Pelor's Glory the Goblin Clanlands undertook an alliance with the Seethe Dynasty of G'yass. Long Night For more on this, see here. A period of relative calm in the Clanlands, much of this era consists of a cycle of raids on external kingdoms, followed by internal conflict over the position of High Chief, which then returns to raiding, and so on. Chiefdom Crisis The Thundercry Helmet departs the Clanlands with its last bearer, Tytugg Bagswill. With it goes the Clanlands only true method of claiming authority as High Chief. The ensuing conflicts lock much of the Clanlands in constant warfare for many years. Divine Era For more on this, see here. The goblin chiefs continued to war no sign of concession from any of them. This would come to an end when The Heir took notice of the warriors in the conflict and decided on a better use for them. Second March For more on this, see here. The Clanlands almost universally fell under the control of The Heir, who reunited them with their historic allies, the sirithi of G'yass. The ensuing conflict saw the goblins united together under a common cause, which was destroyed by the efforts of a powerful group of humans, leaving the goblins scattered and leaderless once more. Ogres' Descent Seizing upon the weakness in the goblins, armies of ogres descended upon the Clanlands, swallowing up much of the northern territory, effectively locking the goblins off from the rest of Etan. Political Structure High Chief The Goblin Homelands are ruled by a High Chief whose decree is final. The High Chief also oversees the Council of Tribal Chieftains made up of the heads of the major Goblin Clans. Thundercry Helmet The position of High Chief is marked by possession of the Thundercry Helmet. Ownership of the helmet passed on through means of lethal combat, although assassination is as often the mechanism for succession. Thus, the best warrior and (in the goblins' eyes) the best leader will always be in power. Over the years the helmet was passed down through means of bloodshed with no High Chief lasting more than five years. Eventually, the helmet would come into the possession of Tytugg Bagswill, who won the helmet from his predecessor via the unconventional means of bludgeoning his skull open as he sat on his throne. Tytugg ruled the Goblin Clans for eleven years before murmurings of a goblin mage reached his ears. Supposedly no warrior had ever come close to besting this mage in combat and they had intent to take the helmet from Tytugg. Tytugg, fearing for both his title and his life fled Rock-Harbour, taking the crown with him, never to be seen again. Council of Tribal Chieftains The Council of Tribal Chieftains consists of the head of each major clans. The distinction between major an minor clan is poorly defined and historically has been decided at the whim of the High Chief. Prior to the fall of the Alliance of Clans there were five major clans with the sixth clan (The Skyshatter Clan) almost wiped out by the rise of the Ogre Dominance. These major clan chieftains all have minor clans which they are the spokespeople of and it is their job as Tribal Chieftains to take care of the more mundane every day aspects of ruling. High Council Since the loss of the Thundercry Helm the Council of Tribal Chieftains taken over leadership of the Clanlands, sometimes now referred to as the High Council. The current council consists of the chieftains of the clans Hockhash, Seg'Retcha, Foom'Teeza and Mogga'Gnash respectively. Chieftains Below the High Chief are the leaders of the many different clans in the Clanlands, each a powerful warlord in their own right. Political Stances Due to their unstable and unfriendly nature, it is not a very common occurrence for any other nation to attempt to form any kind of pact with the Goblin Clanlands. The Clanlands do have one long standing alliance with the Sirithi of G'yass however. This pact was made between High Chief Tenshackle and Varharsh Vicktus Seethe and became known as the Seethe-Tenshackle alliance. The alliance was made on the premise that the joint forces would march north through Etan and conquer it, then they would move on to Vhir and conquer the habitable parts of that continent. This attempt at a worldwide empire was thwarted by the formation of the Noble States who fought against the Seethe-Tenshackle alliance and eventually beat them back. Rock Harbour also boasted control over the Ogre Dominance within the Goblin Clanlands to all foreign entities who they had wished to intimidate or impress. However, no attempt made by Rockharbour actually came remotely close to gaining an allegiance there. In fact the Ogres have considered themselves as actively hostile to any Goblins who might come near their Dominance. Obviously since the Ogre's Descent whatever potential there ever was for friendly relations between these two nations has been destroyed. Clans The goblin clanlands consists of many hundreds of different clans, although roughly a dozen or so tend to hold sway at any given time, dwarfing countless smaller clans. Each clan has a very unique way of life as well has behaviour and racial composition. Hovkhash The Hovkhash clan is currently the most dominant clan in all of the Clanlands. They are composed solely Hobgoblins, who by nature are larger and stronger than their other goblin brethren. The Hovkhash Clan accrued much of its current power during the rule of Tytugg Bagswill, a Hovkhash clan member, as High Chief. The Hovkhash held control of Rockharbour after the fall of the Alliance of Clans. However, in very recent times the Hovkhash clan have allowed of the other clans back into the city in order to prepare for the inevitable war caused by the Ogres' Descent. The current Chief of the Hovkhash clan is Bagamul Hogpunt, a towering hulk of a Hobgoblin who is known less for his skill as a leader than for his skill with his great axe; Elf-Chewer. Foom'Teeza Foom'Teeza, the Firecatchers, are a clan made up of some of the most curious, intelligent and inventive Goblins in all of the Clanlands. The Foom'Teeza is responsible for the majority of cannons, explosives, alchemical advancements and general technological mayhem found within the nation. Due to their unique interests relative to the other clans of the Clanlands, the Firecatchers are treated with disdain and caution by the more conventional clans. One of the many quirks of the Firecatchers is their deeper religious devotion compared to other clans. More unusual still is their reverence of Oi'Yerr'On, a choice deemed bizarre in Goblin culture where if one bothers worshiping a god at all then it is generally either Battrer or Slavor. The Chief of the Firecatcher clan is a hooknose goblin by the name of Sizzleskull. Sizzleskull is one of the most feared Goblins in all of the clanlands for his rare mastery of pyromancy. His pyrotechnical displays which are created by his prodigal alchemical knowledge and skill are famous throughout the clanlands. Mogga'Gnash Mogga'Gnash, known as the Thousandmaws is by far the most numerous clan in all of the clanlands, the Thousandmaw clan supply most of the menial labour in the clanlands, loaning the use of workers and slaves to other clans. Tragically for this clan, the Heir killed many of their number in order to use elaborate blood magic in some of his battle plans. The Heir viewed them as inferior due to their less than average prowess in combat. This huge blow to their numbers would be enough to completely wipe out most clans, however despite this the ranks of the Moffa'Gnash continue to grow as an almost terrifying pace. The Chief of the Thousandmaws is Splurp One-Eye, Basher of Giants, Thrasher of Hounds, Masher of Lizards, Musher of Golems and Lover of Sparklies. This Big Head Goblin probably has the longest and most impressive list of combat feats associated with him than any other goblin in the Clanlands. Some suspect that these may have been fabricated by some of the more excitable Big Heads in his clan, but the majority are widely regarded as true. If one was to walk the streets of Rockharbour, one of the most common conversations you would overhear is two Goblins arguing about who would win in a fight: Bagamul Hogpunt or Splurp One-Eye. The jury is still out, and it is general Goblin opinion that this question will remain unanswered until one of them dies by the other's hand. Seg'Retcha The goblins of Rockharbour have always been feared on the ocean near the Clanlands, none more so than clan Seg'Retcha, the Sea Reavers. Their fearsome pirates and marauders of the waterways have been pillaging and raiding other ships for generations. There's nothing that a Sea Reaver likes more than his feet planted firmly on a ship's deck, the smell of salt and smoke in his nostrils, a freshly fired pistol in one hand and a new caught slave in the other. The Sea Reaver Clan is responsible for the majority of the sizeable fleet docked at Rockharbour. This encompasses hundreds of ships. Not all are particularly large, but the Reavers do generally have a penchant for showing off, so they are always as big as the captain can afford. The Chief of the Sea Reavers is the infamous Captain Stubbshank. Stubbshank gained his rank of chieftain after being confronted by two Okarthel privateer ships off the coast of Vhir. It was in the ensuing conflict that Stubbshank managed to not only sink the other two ships of equal size to his own but also best one of the Dragonborn captains in single combat by killing him with a swift shank stub to the temple. It was after this event that the captain renamed his ship ''Wingclipper, ''becoming the undisputed greatest captain in the Clanlands. Vhos'Trolkh Sneaky and cunning by nature, the Vhos'Trolkh, or Iron Shadows, are untrustworthy even among goblins, a common expression among the other clans is "''as far as I could throw em'", ''referring to the trustworthiness of a Vhos'Trolkh being directly related to the distance one could hurl them, some bugbears turn this into a loosely arbitrated sport whenever a Vhos'Trolkh thief is caught by another clan. Working as rangers, spies and agents of chaos in other lands, the Iron Shadows typically have hobgoblins at the core of their leadership, with the naturally stealthy bugbears acting as surprise shock troops, and the regular goblins act as distractions as their larger cousins sneak into fortifications undetected. Kaac'Shuur Known as the Rendcoats, these tenacious goblins made up for their low numbers by being very difficult to kill. As a mark of their durability, the goblins of this clan scar their chests and backs, creating a mesh of slashes across their flesh that gives them an intimidating appearance. The Rendcoat clan occupied the Falkanah plains during the War in the Silence, the force acting as bait to lure in the armies of Grostere, later being abandoned by the exarch that commanded the army, switching sides to the Noble Alliance. Barka'Rav Once a minor clan, the beastmaster of the Barka'Rav clan have been on the ascent since the defeat of The Heir. The Barka'Rav are experts in animal handling and trapping. They value little more than a well (though not too well) trained beast whom they can show off in pit-fights against the beasts of other clans or an unfortunate slave. Many Barka'Rav survived in the wilderness as the Ogre Dominance swept over the Clanlands and since then they have ingratiated themselves somewhat with the ogres. They have been known to procure shatterspikes which they use to empower their beast. Often enough these monsters will 'mysteriously' end up in the hands of ogre packs. Dur'Thek Dur'Thek, known in the common tongue as the Ribrippers, are an eclectic mix of goblin, hobgoblin and bugbear. Once a very powerful and influential clan whcih contested the position of High Chief, the Ribrippers were the builders of Datra'Thek a fortress city within the clanlands. During the War in the Silence, the Ribrippers requested the aid of the Noble Alliance to end the control of the exarch over the Clanlands, forming an accord with the recently crowned King Sanctus II. After the war, the Ribripper's city of Datra'Thek was taken by the Ogun'Kor, forcing the survivors to retreat to Rockharbour where they attempted to request aid from the Noble Alliance. Culture The culture of the goblins isolated to the Clanlands is similar to that of the goblin tribes found throughout the world, though on a much larger scale. Cycles of Violence Goblins are ruled by the strongest and the smartest among them, ensuring the survival of the clan by having their best make all the decisions. These leaders are often ousted by other would-be-chiefs, and all of them crave power and regularly abuse whatever authority they can obtain. On a larger scale the position of High Chief has spread this cycle to the entirety of the Clanlands and goblin society therein, with the death of each successive leader leading to infighting and claims to rule. When a leader emerges, usually by carving a bloody path through other claimants, the new High Chief will begin raiding the Noble States or other nearby kingdoms to gather riches, basking in the influence they have accumulated, few ever contemplating the fleeting nature of their power. Racial Mixes Goblins are born into different castes, often based on their race. Goblins The majority of goblins in the clanlands fall into the category of 'goblin', with most being some variation of the small humanoid form. Common features are large eyes and ears, hooked nose, pointed teeth and a nimble frame. Goblins are typically distinguished as either Hooknose or Big Head. Hobgoblins An elite warrior caste of the Clanlands, most hobgoblins consider regular goblins to be inferior to them and therefore should be subject to their rule, a perception disputed by other goblins. Most hobgoblins devote themselves to martial pursuits, with many of their clan structure being centered around keep or fortification where they train relentlessly to hone their skills in combat. Bugbears Larger than their hobgoblin cousins, and far larger than regular goblins, bugbears are violent creatures that seldom remain with one clan. Instead of committing to a single clan, these brutes often join several in their lifetimes, often being kicked out by other bugbears hoping to take over whatever deal they have struck with the clan, or they may leave of their own choice, when a clan makes an offer better than the one they currently have. Category:Goblin Category:Etan Category:Races